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I feel like something’s gone horrifically wrong when a genre called “Fantasy” is all about painting within the lines and focusing solely on emulating a few old works.
I feel like something's gone horrifically wrong when a genre called "Fantasy" is full of people who can't come up with new words or terms for new things and so instead keep trying to call new things by the words and terms used to describe old things. If you're not going to make a dragon, why call it a dragon instead of a Diddydowappaloo (or perhaps something less whimsical.)
@@grimjoker5572 but also, coming up with a new word for something is a choice just as using an old word is, and neither option is inherently better than the other but are used to different effects and it wouldn't be reasonable not to acknowledge that using an existing word can be the better choice depending on the intent of the work - besides, the word "dragon" wasn't invented by dnd, historically and mythologically the word "dragon" is more of a thematic idea than a species classification
@@Envy_May Correct, dragon is more of a theme but that theme has certain rules. There is no reason to misuse an old word for something new unless you are trying to invoke the image of that old thing. For example; calling an aircraft a "raptor" invokes the image of something which swoops down and attacks its prey. Why? Because raptors are birds of prey. In this sense using an old word makes sense yet only if that old meaning exists in your setting. So calling something which is not a dragon and in no way meets the themes of a dragon yet in a world that has dragons as part of their culture, an entity which plays that role might be given the title of "dragon." Again; otherwise what is the point of using a word if you only intent to render the use of that word pointless? Words only exist to convey data from one organic storage device to another. Misusing words disrupts this process.
@@grimjoker5572 i don't really think there's any such thing as "misusing" a word when it comes to art, unless you're failing at something you were explicitly intending to do, like if you're specifically trying to communicate a certain thing but fail to do so to most of your audience. but either way the "process" in question isn't especially rigid to begin with and attempts to prescriptively enforce such a thing are just misguided i feel - if anything "disruption" should be _part_ of the process that people know how to navigate rather than constantly try to control for
@@Envy_May _"i don't really think there's any such thing as "misusing" a word when it comes to art"_ Red. A splash across the yellow. A cheer from the crowd. The smell of iron. The thumping of the drum; deep within the chest. Exhilaration. The Gladiator stands triumphant. In that I have invoked imagery dependent on common understanding and association. Red is blood, obviously. Yellow is sand, etc. You know what a gladiator is. You know what he is doing. You know why he smells iron. Now what if I told you that in *MY* world this is a little bunny painting a picture of the run rising up in the sky? Gladiator is a word for bunny. The sun is red. The sky is yellow. Crowd means tractor. Cheering means running. Drums are just what they call turnips. Words have meaning and it is playing with those meanings that create art in the written form. This extends to what you name something. If I name something a gladiator it invokes certain impressions thus I should only name something a gladiator if I want to invoke those impressions. This can be useful in some pieces of art, such as calling your hero Butcher, yet only because you are playing with the meaning of the word; not completely disregarding it.
I always take "dragon" as like an overarching "family" name. A Dragon is a dragon, A wyvern is a dragon, but dragon isn't a wyvern.
It's like the deal with "square vs rectangle" lol
still not a dragon
@@haazimmalik1133dragons don't even exist (and if they did they don't anymore) its like saying a chicken isn't a dinosaur. Cuz it is. Just cuz it looks different doesn't mean it still isn't a dinosaur
@@haazimmalik1133that's not a dog thats a golden retriever!
@@crowdemon_archives'that's not a quadrilateral that's a square' .excuse me
I remember a kid who used to draw dragons everyday. He was picked on VISCOUSLY when others found his art. Even the teachers made fun of him. What a world.
Literally on what basis?? Mfs
Same thing happened to me, when I was younger and even sometimes now. I was drawing lots of dragons and monster in general, and people asked me "why don't you draw people? This is dumb".
@@octologue3206 as someone who exclusively draws bugs, I get it (Humanoids come out fine, just humans specifically for whatever reason?)
Same here. Except for me it was fantasy character design I remember my classmate stealing my draft of an orc and showing it to the teacher. The teacher actually yelled at me and said that I was drawing Humongosaur(from Ben 10) and everyone in my class started calling me that
I hope he doesn't start ww3
0:46 the fast editing here is funny as fuck. The instantaneous “that’s not a dragon” followed by “they love me” is a funny transition
You can't go wrong with a Toby meme 🍷 🗿
it really helps to make it funny when you explain the joke
@@maycontainnuts3127 Now from what we learned from the video, is this proper art critique?
@@maycontainnuts3127 so you are saying that they aren't allowed to properly critique the video, and share their thoughts?
@@astick5249 Something the video didn't address; not everybody is a critique trying to provide a well structured argument. Some people are just sharing their opinions. I wish this person would share their opinions less on certain issues but on this one they are benign.
Dragons are entirely different in plenty of cultures. Some dragons have no wings, some have more than 2, some don't breathe fire, some have wings that turn into arms (or feet?).
To be fair, Europeans did just slap the term dragon onto anything mythical with scails, wings, or the ability of flight. I doubt the term should be applied as widely as it is. The Europeans were viewing things under a European lens of understanding and I doubt any of them cared about the cultural nuance of the "savages."
@@Whitewing89 the term should be applied widely. Lizards capable of flight = Dragons
@@Whitewing89 that is not really true, the concept of dragons is a very old concept, used throughout many cultures, while defnetly being related to each other.
@@devastatheseeker9967Not true, drakes are also classified as dragons and so are Wyrms, so a dragon is a creature with some form of reptilian features and needs to have a reptilian head.
@@paracuna how are drakes and wyverns not lizards?
In my optinion, dragons is a HUGELY broad term things like drakes, wyverns, wyrms, cockatices, etc. will all kind of fall under the dragon umbrella designs like dutch angel dragons shows that dragons can be depicted as fluffy, and so many more details can exist on them
I'm doing Smaugust and I've done a gecko, a manticore, a whale and a dog
If you really think about it, all of those examples you just listed are actually types of dragons in certain media. So… yeah
Yeah, one of my favorite dragons are the Japanese and Chinese dragons because how much different from the dragons you grow up learning. Whiskers, fur, a really long body, no wings, and an animal like nose. And then theirs my favorite pokemon Appletun.
I recommend the video of overly sarcastic production on the subject, it explains the subject very well.
Dragon designs can be anything! An Apple, a bird, a robot, etc... You only must be a creative person to create a great dragon design
"That is a bad dragon" - 🤓 "That is a bad-dragon" - 😳
I sometimes feel like a lot of people forget that Art is a VERY subjective thing
It is and it isn't though. We use classifications such as motifs, themes, and names to enhance our ability to make art. All of art is an argument of try to get the idea and emotion in your body expressed to other people. Without shared forms we'd basically be speaking in foriegn languages to each other with art. That said people definitely can be too restrictive and interpretations of the argument (art) are subjective.
There is a limit to art being subjective. If you draw a giant octopuse with 9 different animal heads and one head happens to be dragon head and then call it a dragon. That ain't a dragon. That artist may try and convince everybody that what he/she drawn is a dragon but that is way past the limite of being a dragon. So is drawing a sheep that can fly and call it a dragon. There is a limit to having creative liberty because in wider majority. All they see is a monster abomination and a sheep that has wings and can fly
@@timexyemerald6290 What if you draw a Komodo Dragon but without the Komodo and make it a Sheep Dragon though?
@@timexyemerald6290no art is very subjective, I could splash paint on the ground and if I see a resemblance of a dragon in there it’s a dragon to me, regardless if the rest of the world doesn’t and thinks I’m crazy. That’s the meaning of subjectivity. There are no rules if you just want to do something that you enjoy. Of course most artists also want others to see the vision they have, but that is an external motive not inherent to art.
@@assortmentofpillsbutneverb3756beauty is found within the minds of those who contemplate it
that's the price of being famous, people are waiting you draw their ideas, not your own creations. Sadly, but you can ignore them too.
Well said! You hit the nail right on the head!
I do feel like the comment is not really inline with what he’s saying. I think he understands that people just want their ideas to happen. I think he’s simply trying to encourage people to have better commentary. He’s aware that the comments will still happen, but some people might actually learn from what he’s saying and offer constructive criticism.
@@mason62100 this guy it's making a gentle tantrum because random people said their dragon doesn't look like the generic ones all we know.
@@MasterRomboidal”a gentle tantrum” grow up, he’s a creator who tries to push himself out of his own comfort zone and try new things. Artists everywhere expect critique, because everyone has an opinion…. did you watch the video with the sound off?? also dragons aren’t real🫡
@@MasterRomboidalhe is entitled to the way he is acting. Nothing done wrong. It’s the people he’s talking about who are wrong.
For the Light and Darkness Dragon, having the wings unfurled and pointed up like they’re being shown off and intimidating whatever they’re facing could draw a sharper contrast between the light and dark and create a sort of partial lunar eclipse silhouette🌓
Found the Yu-Gi-Oh fan. No judgement.
The feathers on the light wing might look a bit like rays of light then!
let it be known that "the kid who draws dragons" was usually one of the coolest kids to be friends with *because* of their proficiency in draconic lore xD
I was one of these kids lol
honestly, stopping artists from flexing their creativity and forcing them into a box goes against the whole point of art. For any beginner artists out there, please don’t let others opinions direct your imagination. Its always important to learn from others and use their advise to improve your technical skills, but if people tell you your dragon isn’t “dragon enough”, then ignore them. Your creation is beautiful the way it is ❤
if ppl say it’s “not a dragon” ur doing it right. and either way GO WEIRDER BE CREATIVE YIPPEE
Why do you think this has anything to do with creativity? The purpose of words is to differentiate between different things. If we call every creature a dragon, there's no point in the word existing; you might as well just say "creature".
@@mrosskne Dragons in Mythology (usually European) have their hands in their wings, and the majority of media representing dragons always have the arms separated from the wings. I don't see the point of complaining and telling off someone that "It doesn't look like a dragon" 🤷🏻
@@Marlin-xq7ok The point is that if people don't think it's a dragon, it isn't.
@@mrosskne There will always be a general idea of a 'typical dragon' in the cultural mind, people having creatures that intentionally escape that idea don't ruin the 'standard' look everyone has. Fantasy creatures are archetypes with various interpretations that are seen as equally valid. Dragons in mythology can already vary from being flying snakes to giant lizards, in the same way it's seen as equally valid to have a werewolf be someone who shapeshifts into an actual wolf or into a part-wolf-part-person fusion.
I honestly LOVE the differences you made between light and dark in the dragon, like the “light wing” being more angelic and the “dark wing” more demonic looking. Thought, I do think the intent of the piece gets a bit lost between the details, maybe a more “forward facing” pose could make it easier to see the center where light and dark colide. Either that or maybe by altering the color of the “crystals” in the dragons chest you could emphasize the light-dark aspect a bit more, mainly because the red can be associated with the “demonic” aspect of darkness and somewhat causes it to look like darkness is “slightly more dominant”, maybe the “gems” being half red and half blue-ish could help hopefully.
I agree having seen the final art, the design is badass but the light side gets heavily obscured and almost looks out of place with the majority of the dark side facing the camera. Not knowing where it begins almost makes it look out of place and nonsensical, especially when the head and chest seem majority black and lava-y, it’s hard to imagine it at a different angle
Mh, I didn’t think of that, good eye! The red crystals are actually amber though, so it has to be kind of reddish, but I agree, it does made the other side look more dominant
Wow I just read this after my critique and 8 totally agree. The dark part probably feels more dominant because of the fact that the light part looks translucent which makes it almost fade into the background.
I think the idea of the orange crystals was to suggest that the dragon was an Amber dragon at one point! So maybe instead he could lighted the shade of orange? Add some yellow highlights as well may work. Also maybe he could make the dragons face softer as a contrast (maybe idk).
But it somehow looks a little like the dark side more dominant, so I totally get everyone’s points of view
Things are just called are what people call them. "Bug" have a specific meaning for entomologists, it's a specific group of insects. But basically all English speakers call a lot of different invertebrates "bugs".
Like when people call gorillas, chimps, orangutans, bonobos, and gibbons "monkeys". Even though theyre not monkeys. Theyre apes. I dont think anyone actually cares in that sense and they get what you mean.
But if I call, say, a cat a bug, you would still say I am wrong because there is a commonly agreed upon definition of the word. The scientific definition mostly doesn't matter in normal use because words are defined by their common use and not what one group of people say they should mean.
Look if i'm at a chip shop and suddenly get a centipede hissing at me, i'm gonna call that a scary bugger. I'm not calling it Centruriessus Mechapolis, its 'Scary Bug'.
@@mimesforcrimes8393 that's the owner you fool
@thelordz33 Well, I mean, yeah... you wouldn't call a unicorn a dragon now, would you? Same as how you wouldn't call a cat a bug. The point isn't that you can call anything a dragon, but as long as it gives you dragon "vibes." Kinda like how a spider or a centipede has those buggy like "vibes." The point isn't that you can call anything a dragon it's that people tend to use the very specific term for dragon to gate keep what a dragon can or cannot be!
People these days seem to WANT to be unhappy, to find SOMETHING to be upset about instead of just being happy. I don’t get it, but it’s something we have to deal with in this age. You’re work is amazing my friend. Let the haters hate.
They’re in their own hell, unhappy and always negative they see someone or something being happy or positive, they want to destroy. They want us to be like them being miserable and hating things
People are just never satisfy
they should rip off the page of their story where it continues
People these days seem to want to destroy history by calling everything a dragon when it has its own mythological and cultural linguistic terminology. Almost like when translating words that don't have alternatives we grasp at the closest concept, and now that has brainwashed a generation into thinking its okay to call every winged lizard under the sun a dragon.
To me at least, Its best to think that those people online might be just miserable IRL so they cant really find things fun easily and just want to make others feel as bad as them too
Honestly, before your explanation at the end, i saw the Light & Darkness dragon as a Fire & Ice dragon. Both work, but I feel The Darkness side looks a bit more like fire, especially in the horn. I personally feel a warped horn would give off more of a Dark Corruption feel than what you drew, but either way it's an amazing art piece! (i know my criticism isn't perfect, but trust me when I say I see what you went for, and you certainly nailed it!)
Same here. Even the light side is way too blue, so looks more like an "ice", than "light" - I'd rather expect it to have very bright tones of gold/yellow or to have a prismatic look. Angelic looking wing is the right choice though. Also, purple corruption feels a bit boring
Honestly I think what I love about dragons is the fact that they can be almost anything from a lizard with wings to a maybe a monkey that looks a bit draconic
or a human or even a literal snake (hell, even a slug kinda dragon). Plus you could always seamlessly tie any of them together however you like using either your own interpretations, orrrr the centuries worth of different cultures versions of dragons.
There is an hypothesis that dragons are a mixture of the creatures that were our predators, so they evoke a feeling of awe and dread. Snakes, birds, beasts, crocodiles, big lizards, other humanoids and if you consider the possibility of inherited genetic instinctual fear even dinosaurs could be part of the mix because mammals were under dinosaur's draconic rule for millions of years. All of that mixed up forms the vague idea of what a dragon is or can be. So a dragon can be any, most, all or more than these things combined.
@@williansnobre flying thunder bear dragon.
@@doohickeyhandy758HECK YEAH 🔥🔥🔥
That's the key point *looks draconic* if something other then a dragon fits more, it's not a dragon, most humanoid drakes could be closer to demons then dragon people and the further you skew the line of what a dragon is the more we end up with what mk thinks is a dragon human.. a 4 armed naked bear man.. is not a dragon. Especially when its counterpart isnt but is just also part tiger. they are dragon infused creatures or beings not dragons, charizard is a dragon because of its draconic traits despite not being initially classified as a dragon, the very being of what a dragon is is very simple, does it look like a dragon based on what dragons look like and are depicted as, it's not an official titte it is Purley based on that.
As someone who used to doodle dragons ALL the time, the "kid who draws dragons" thing resonated with me LOL. Dragons are just very fun to draw imo, especially since as others have said, you can be so creative with them.
Same, dragons were one of my favorite creatures to draw. I'm surprised no one called me that!😅😊
Me as well!!!! I'm so happy there's other people as obsessed with drawing dragons as I am!!!
@grungycat767 Dragon club! Dragon club!
@@yourhorseyepona7309 I need a membership to the dragon club!! As someone with dragons as at least 70% of my personality, it’s making me so happy to see how many dragon nerds are being gathered by this video lol
I was considered that kid while in middle and high school. I still have the sketchbook filled with my old dragon drawings. Such fond memories.
It's so important to also make sure you're only giving critique if someone is asking for it, and make sure that you're helping the artist realize THEIR vision, not yours
THIS i had an online friend criticize one of the designs of my characters, i was caught between appreciation of getting actual feedback other then "thats cool", and disappointed in their advice--because this friend had a very different style and values in character design then me, and i didn't feel it helped much, no shade to them tho.
Also, make sure you're not just throwing every little mistake you spot at them and focus on critiques they're actually interested in. If someone is asking you for tips about anatomy don't overwhelm them with every art concept under the sun.
Also remember sometimes nobody cares if you asked and you have free speech to give criticism if you want to uwu
An attitude like that will foster bad feelings though. You may have free speech, but the artist has the right to completely disregard those comments and even block if you don't respect their wishes. @@mkdoz
@@wheatart4274 I don’t have bad feelings I’m fine, and I don’t care if an ignorant artist blocks me I have actual things to care about other then whether or not they like my criticisms. If you can’t take criticism then you won’t grow.
I love how you communicated the amber of the dragon's original form. One thing I notice is that the "Light" and "Dark" look more like an armor from different dragons, rather than an organic, invasive growth on the original. The thing that, in my eyes, causes this interpretation, is the way the shoulders look like pauldrons layered on top of the amber dragon, rather than blending into it's body, as the lore would suggest.
I wonder if what it would look like if he used the theme of preservation that amber is known for. What if we have the 2 energies almost contained within the dragon.
I think part of the reason there’s a lot of unconstructed criticism in the art world is that those comments either come from people who aren’t artists or are relatively inexperienced with art. As for your dragon, I LOVE the colors! Though the arm on the corrupted side sort of blends in with the inside of the wing and makes it a little hard to read.
agreed!
I agree. I think part of is that the right arm appears to be smaller than the left. I'm unsure if that's a purposeful asymmetry or if they're supposed to be more equal.
Yes, Its part of the reason they give the criticism in the first place, they don't know the artist will look at it or even think about it but when drawing and looking to improve you look for comments about your art and what you should keep doing or stop doing or focus on next time but if you don't draw regularly and see something you don't like you aren't gonna think about that.
I sincerely hope any of the folks that do this have the patience and introspection to watch and internalize it. But sadly often, they are 12 years old. (Which is helpful on our end to rationalize where it's coming from 😉) The ability to critique well is INDEED a rare thing especially online, good on you for talking about it!
All wyverns are dragons, but not all dragons are wyverns.
I have only ever seen toxicity and even bullying towards artists in the SFW art community I have heard numerous horror stories of their awful experiences with toxic people. It's interesting, but for the most part the NSFW art community (especially of the furry variety) is the exact opposite of this - it's the most welcoming, supportive community with so much less toxicity and drama than on the SFW side. Recently I've heard of the artist Mauzymice that got bullied when one of her artworks has become a meme. People took her characters and added captions saying 'you like kissing boys don't you?' - and it has become a very popular reaction image and got a multitude of different versions. However Mauzymice had nothing to do with the meme and yet she got bullied and doxxed for it and she had to delete her youtube channel and lock her twitter account. Hell even if she did make the meme it was just cute and innocent but I guess the SFW community is just not ready for such lewd expressions as 'kissing boys'.
Sure, I like to give types of dragons my own unique terms like they're a species. But I LOVE it when the term dragon is given to beasts that may loosely, or not even fully meet the "standards" of what the normal joe would consider to be a dragon. It keeps the legend alive on a fundamental level, and I love it when people try different things.
monster hunter out here calling a massive lion a wyvern is the kinda thing im here for
If any creature can be called dragon, what is the point of the word? It doesn't specify anything.
@@mrosskne yeah, it's stupid. "Anything can be anything" is a great way to end up with "nothing means anything"
@@mrosskne stop thinking "dragon" references a specific physical animal and you'll stop being confused.
Monster Hunter out here calling a massive floating plant octopus with human teeth a dragon is the kinda thing i'm here for
A similar topic that gets on my nerves is the recent trend of taking art techniques or styles (like shading with a certain colour or doing lineart a certain way) and calling it wrong or a "bad way to do it" (specifically I've seen "shading with purple is always bad" recently). Everyone has their own style, their own way of drawing that makes them happy, and all this is doing is telling beginner artists to avoid drawing the way they want to and to instead appeal to whatever the internet think is "the best".
Wuh? how have people associated purple shading as bad? Is it okay to ask?
@lunarcat3283 They dont usually explain. It's basically just people on Instagram saying its wrong because they said so without giving any sort of tips aside from "dont do this"
@@tehgretwaffl Huh weird must've started from one person with a reason and then just derived into that.
With the context that this dragon is a Light & Darkness dragon that has corrupted what was previously an amber dragon, I feel that this is a very strong design. The wings, especially, showcase angelic and demonic themes that are extremely clear to a viewer. However, before I had this context, the color composition surrounding the dragon's chest had me a bit confused. The cold blues, warm purples, and fiery oranges actually had me thinking that the dragon was embodying fire and ice. The more muted and pastel colors of the angelic wing are honestly stunning, and I think lighter tones on the "Light" half of the dragon could help with that. My first instinct would have been to use golden colors rather than blues, but the use of blues, purples and pinks on both halves of the dragon really make it feel like one being, so I think sticking closer to that palette is a much stronger choice. Although I love the amber base, like I mentioned before, it conveys "fire" a bit too strongly in my opinion, especially when it is shrunken down onto a card. Specifically, the jagged spikes on its head the small amber spots on its tail, and the amber core peeking through the demonic corruption could convey that a fiery power is coursing through this dragon's body, even if that isn't the intent. For the tail, I would consider changing the details to be more rocky and irregular, with something more bulbous at the end, along the lines of an ankylosaurus. For the head, I would change the spikes to be more rounded at the ends, although maintaining the size of them is important to convey power and fear. For the chest, the main problem I have may be that the amber is sort of blended into both sides through the use of reds. It makes it seem rather hot. Again, I love the wings of each side of the design, and I also really like how the two elements twist together along the end of the tail. My favorite small detail is the jewel on the shoulder of the "Light" side, although I'm a bit lost on how I would approach incorporating it more. I also REALLY like that this dragon has different sized arms, as well as claws on its wings. It really conveys that something already fantastical and powerful has been corrupted into something further supernatural, whether these arms have been modified or completely gained since the original dragon's corruption. That was a lot to type, but also a fun practice! Maybe something from this could be useful to anyone who actually sees this comment.
The thing with dragons is that people tend to be attached to specific definitions on what they perceive as "dragons". There always seems to be some argument on whether wyverns quantify as dragons or not. But if you look towards the East where our dragons have no wings, 4 legs, and a serpentine body the strict definition of 4 legs and wings readily falls apart. And that's what I like about unique designs. They don't need to follow the preconceived idea on what something should be. It pushes the boundaries and expands on what can count as a particular creature or object. If people free themselves from the shackles of strict abidance the possibilities become infinite. So keep on making those dragons, Man Who Draws Dragons.
Thank you for doing this. I think artists making their own interpretation of creatures is one of the best parts of fantasy.
Right?? Creativity is the fun part! Why would people want to knock interesting & unique takes on a well-known idea instead of embracing broad and exciting interpretations?
Damn right. There's the classic fantasy that you see everywhere, dwarves are gruff mountain dwellers, elves are elegant forest folk, dragons are fire breathing reptiles with wings, etc. But seeing something truly unique is so much more interesting. Give a dragon arms for wings, make elves live underground, have dwarves fly. It's fantasy, you can do whatever the hell you like.
I agree! 👍
I actually drew a dragon like a year ago that I based on a legless lizard
@mimthyss No one is "knocking" anything. It doesn't have to be called a particular word to be interesting and creative.
The first critique I ever got online was, and I quote, “What the in the hell is that supposed to be.” The fun part is how it was a concept sheet depicting its inspirations and nick-pick details… The internet ladies and gentlemen!
If it's a flying lizard thing, it's a dragon
As someone who grew up on How To Train Your Dragon, anything w/ bat-like wings that isnt a bat is a dragon
The Light and Darkness Dragon looks wonderful; the distinction between the two sides is very clear and portrayed very well! I love the colors you used for the piece, especially the way the colors seem to originate from the dragon’s “core!” It definitely gives off the impression that this dragon has been corrupted, as you explained in the lore. However, the arm on the darkness side seems to blend into the wing and chest a little bit; I can’t really tell it’s there. Perhaps changing up the posing or the arm’s coloring could help it stand out a little more? I believe that you also said that the light and darkness overcame an Amber Dragon; however, the colors you chose for the main body (the one that has been corrupted) seem to clash with this idea. Amber is a very natural gemstone as it comes from hardened tree resin, but the silvers and grays you went with (while appealing!) give off more of an artificial, mechanical vibe. I’d recommend making the body more of a bronze, dark orange, or gold color to make it seem more natural, like both the color amber and the gemstone, unless of course the iron-esque body was intentional!
Excellently put, I completely agree too. Its visually a very nice looking design, but while I could see "crystal ore coming out of a stony-dragon", it doesn't read "amber", one of the few non-crystal gems.
I'd recommend keeping criticisms short and sweet, and adding in something you appreciate about the piece somewhere in there where it naturally fits.
:P
@@MeGustaWHAT I disagree. The comment you replied to does contain something the commenter appreciates about the piece as well as keeps the critique short. You cannot offer an artist good, in depth critique in one sentence alone. Overall your reply wasn't very helpful. It feels like you are sharing how you personally prefer receiving critique, not trying to give advice on how to give critique in general. Critique isn't supposed to be purely compliments, it's supposed to point out flaws and errors and help an artist improve, while also pointing out areas they have greatly succeeded in. It feels like you have mixed up what critiquing and complimenting is. Art is a craft, and to improve a craft or skill you must acknowledge errors.
As a fellow "the kid who drew Dragons", part of why I always loved them was because I felt like they represented creativity (and my creativity) as a whole. They could be anything
Those wyvern people are so annoying. Wyverns literally ARE DRAGONS
I really like how the different sides of your dragon mesh together, but in my opinion it looks more like a fire and ice dragon
Dragons and wyverns are only really different in certain things. A dragon can really be any shape, a serpent, bipedal, four legged, no arms with just wings and back legs, but in certain things like monster hunter there is a difference. Feels odd that people take rules for specific fantasy worlds and stick them everywhere. In anything else a Rathalos would be a dragon, but in monster hunter it is considered a wyvern. I have loved drawing fantasy ever since I was little, and one day I would like to start a dark fantasy comic series.
In asian fantasy stories, dragons can be anything, even a turtle.
@@LLewliet-pz6vethen again, in asian culture "dragon" is really any largely serpentine/lacertian chimera rather than the more restricted concept from western fantasy
I researched the origins of Wyverns and in medieval European heraldry, the Wyvern is half literally a synonym for dragon
Ok I have to say this, because I keep seeing people say it and it's wrong: the word "wyvern" refers to a heraldic serpent with two legs and two wings. This is a type of dragon. A dragon is any serpentine chimera with legs. It can have mammalian parts like Chinese dragons, or feathers, or anything else. The number of limbs it has is not classificatory, unless that number is zero, in which case it's a serpent (sometimes called a wyrm). The word "drake" has no defined meaning. Salamanders are not dragons, neither is the hydra (which did not originally have legs). Dragons can look like absolutely anything, as they are the most diverse grouping of chimeras. Dragons do not require wings, although many can fly without wings. Breathing fire does not make something a dragon, and not doing so doesn't make something a non-dragon. I mean... you know dragons aren't real, right? You're arguing the taxonomy of an imaginary thing! Wyverns are dragons!
Also, the term dragon is historical; if you go back to when people came up with it, you will find all kinds of descriptions of the beast. These classifications are modern and come from other languages/cultures or are entirely made up, and are just for convenience. It baffles me that in art, which incentivizes creativity, people are advocating against interpreting a prompt in interesting ways just to make designs more generic due to technicisms.
Isn't it a little ironic to say "Dragons can look like absolutely anything" immediately after giving examples of things that are not dragons source trust me
@@pholidia8175 By that I meant that it can have goat horns and the face of a dog, or have bird wings, or 50 heads. All still dragon. Things can look super different and still fit the word. Long bodies, short bodies, 6 limbs or 4, tentacles if you're into that... Salamanders were the actual, literal newts in the myth, which are an extremely rare example of a legendary amphibian (more frog love is needed). They're assosciated with fire but not all dragons are, in fact water is a more common affiliation for dragons across different cultures. The hydra was never called a dragon in Greek myth, which had plenty of dragons, it was just a regular snake with a lot of heads. It is actually assosciated with water, as most serpents are.
@PlatinumAltaria anyone else ever notice that the myth of the fire salamander probably stems from the fact that some real life salamanders or newts have poisonous skin so touching them would cause "burn"...
@@Jormyyy The conventional explanation is that newts would nest in piles of dry wood, and rush out when it was placed in the fire.
the nicest way to say "dude nobody fucking cares what you think it is im just trying to get the fucking wings right"
A dragon could just be a giant lizard that spits poison. A dragon can also be a lizard with a color changing beard. A dragon can even be a really exotic looking fruit.
I am a simple person: DRAGON 👇 IS 👇 DRAGON 👇! I love any and all kinds of dragons. Scaly and scary, to fluffy and friendly. Traditional, non-conventional, they're all dragons and they are valid to me. And I especially enjoy Jack's wildly varied takes on dragons. Keep making amazing dragons! Edit: as for a critique of your Light and Darkness dragon; I think the darkness side's arm gets lost in the color scheme and silhouette. I understand it needs to fit on a card but the wings being more open and grand could give more room to the darkness arm. I also think the base of where the tail meets the body is at too sharp of an angle, and should extend further out before wrapping around in front of the character's legs.
"I also think the base of where the tail meets the body is at too sharp of an angle, and should extend further out before wrapping around in front of the character's legs." My only real critique.
It might just be smug people trying to get a quick smartass "gotcha". It happens in very community, really. Like, it makes them feel clever to point out a fact they think the creator missed
Yeah, so many people just want to prove their smarter/better than others, and they'll take whatever petty lines they can come up with to do it. Some are indeed just misguided, but majority are trolls and their like.
People who think they know stuff are part of why I intentionally stick to a cartoony style. The minute real anatomy gets involved someone's gonna ask me where someone's liver went because I make a body contort wrong. I'll stick to scrimblo bimblos please, my anatomy doesn't have to be correct if the intent is to be wildly disproportionate in the first place
@@digitalunity scrimblo bimblos are my favourite genre of character
"that's not a dragon" that comment guy would get whiplash from encountering a kirin in monster hunter.
the comment at 12:35 made me think about the time I was designing a pair of desert themed bird pokemon. I had redesigned them from an older version and I was really happy with how they turned out. However, my friends didn't think so. They started suggesting ways to 'fix' them and I did make edits to the drawings to try out their ideas. After showing them the edits they ended up choosing the original drawing over the edits.
I really like the color pallet on both sides of the dragon, I think it represents the stereotypical conventions of light and dark very well. However, I feel that by changing the angle of the dragon so that he's facing the center will help convey that duality much better. Also i like the amber in the middle of the dragon showing what the dragon originally was.
Honestly, dragons have been depicted in so many shapes and forms, that it's become a very vague term at this point. Even Pokemon's dragons might not seem all that much like dragons at first glance (not like it's a bad thing.).
Dragons don't necessarily have to be Dragon-Type! I think Lance said that somewhere in Pokémon Masters.
@@Pandachu123 Yeah, like Charizard or Gyarados. They may not be dragon type, but physiologically and conceptually, they are dragons.
It's a little sad how common "can I do this?" comes up in the r/fantasy or r/fantasywriters subreddits. Like... my guy it's FANTASY. The sky's the limit. And I don't mean comments like "is this premise sci-fi or is it considered fantasy," I mean people going "can make a creature like this? Is it too out there?" Like bro wdym.
The internet really needs to learn the difference between criticism and complaint.
The main problem with the dragon is that "Dragon" can be understood as both an umbrella term (for western dragons, eastern dragons, wyverns, drakes, amphipters, etc.) and a "classic western" dragon with 4 legs and 2 wings. Such a dragon does not have a separate name and this confuses everyone.
The "classic western" is more of a modern concept. In European folklore, "dragon" never had a specific form or shape. The very first western "dragons" were serpents, sometimes with legs, sometimes with no legs.
The thing about Dragons… Back in the day, their appearances were incredibly diverse! The Tarrasque, one of the most terrifying D&D monsters of all time… Well, the monster it’s based on was a Dragon, that had the head of a lion, the limbs of a bear, the shell of a turtle, and the tail of a scorpion… So, there’s not some secret rules as to what a dragon should or shouldn’t look like… These prompt months should be a freedom of expressive creativity. So, forget what the sticklers say… Draw with your heart ❤️😊👍
Except that in D&D wyverns are considered less than dragons were as historically they are European dragons.
Yeah, something that is a catch-all term, by definition, does not have a correct way to do it
4:14 as a game dev; this is one of the hardest things to get out of people. People are HORRIBLE at getting feedback, there is a good reason why companies buy your info because if people were good at feedback, they wouldn't need to buy your data in the first place. I remember when making a game I got feedback of, "unrealistic gravity" which didn't help in the slightest in a PONG-ESC GAME! Trust me even after this video I am pretty sure you're not going to get any better feedback, analytical minds are hard build and take time since it involves thought and not your senses.
Just found your channel. I love dragons and this video was a fantastic way to address critiques. Love the dragon btw! I had a little bit of trouble identifying the forearm on the left hand side, but apart from that, I think you nailed the prompt and design. The menace and beauty in equal parts is captivating. It feels powerful! If this is the kind of artwork we can expect from the game then I am stoked! 😁
About the dragon at the end. I really like the duality motif and the contrast between the decaying, apparently necrotic wing and the feathered, almost angelic looking wing. You could perhaps make the color distinction a bit sharper to increase the contrast on the rest of the body, or increase the asymmetrical nature by making it’s body more mismatched. Going too far would go in body horror territory and I don’t think that’s what you want, but making it asymmetrical is a really good way to make it look unnatural. Most real creatures are symmetrical, and making them unsymmetrical makes them look unnatural and strange
I really like the amber poking from most parts of the light and dark dragon, but one thing I noticed is that the right, dark, arm doesn't read well. Maybe it's a trick of the perspective, but the bulk of the arm looks rather thin, and it doesn't contrast quite enough with the right wing to make it seem completely separate. It also looks oddly short compared to the other arm. All that said, it's amazing, and shows the themes of light and dark very nicely in its design.
I like how there's still amber in the dragon signifying its origin, and the light and darkness are really clear and defined. But its tail is a little lacking, and unless the ideas of light and darkness are fundamentally incompatible in the lore of the game, it would be cool if they mixed a little more.
bro got so fed up with people arguing semantic criticism that he delivered constructive criticism on their arguments lmao
Once as a kid I drew a worm (basically a wiggly line) and told others that was a dragon. No one believed me but then again when the fuck did anyone ever see a dragon.
except for the animals with dragon in the name, none.
I lot of people if you drew a worm, bet they saw one of those in there lifetime.
@@lylacor8401 Dragonflies are the best dragons in existence imo
@@DrTheRich Like the crocodiles (considered natures perfection) dragonflies have existed for a very long time without changing much, longer then even the crocodiles witch is paralel to how dragons are often portrayed as ancient superior animals\creatures.
its really nice seeing a video about this topic. im not very active in any art communities but ive seen these sorts of empty "criticisms" thrown around like crazy and it seriously makes it discouraging to share work. when ive gotten even the slightest resemblance of actual constructive criticism on my work, its quite motivating and makes me feel good about working on art rather than being scared of what others will think of it
What if the people criticizing you are right? Why are you so certain that you're incapable of making a mistake?
@mrosskne not what I was trying to say at all What I meant was that when people cricisise something they don't like, whether or not it's actually good, rarely will they actually be constructive about it. To receive that kind of comment is usually pretty discouraging And in the rare case that feedback is actually helpful, then that feels quite good (even if the work you made is really bad! I don't think anyone is incapable of making mistakes)
@@Octobomb12 Wrong. You simply dismiss any criticism you don't like as non constructive. Fix yourself.
@@mrosskne ... Surely you realise the irony of what you're saying about them being dismissive when they don't like the criticism they recieved, when you yourself just dismissed their entiry explanation because you don't like it, right?
Best advice I ever got was to give 'compliment sandwiches' whenever I talked about art with someone. Say what you like about the thing, then talk about the things that could use work, then finish off on a positive note, encouraging the artist~!
Ohhh I love this video. I actually learned this about 20 years ago thanks to a friend of mine, so having a video I can refer to is SO incredibly helpful! I try to help out newer artists I befriend, or friends who are anxious about starting art, and the ability to give good constructive criticism has gone SUCH a long way for them. I cannot recommend this enough! I think the asking questions part is also SUPER helpful, and a tip I've forgotten, because I find it pretty rude to just go up to a random artist and give criticism without knowing if they're open to it (some people just want to draw things they enjoy after all!) but asking questions can be helpful without simply assuming they're open to critique. And even better: You can learn about the thoughts behind the process if they reply! Which is frankly one of my favourite things about talking to other artists. Thank you for posting this!
Okay, "The Kid Who Draws Dragons" is such a cool title, it's sounds like awesome concept for a fantasy character for any midia (Sorry for my bad english)
very good english actually. the only mistake is a typo for Media, and turning "it" into "it's"! made perfect sense in my head when I read it, and just minor typos that native english speakers would make as well as mistakes.
Way better then the name i got in primary school: "The angry kid that flipped a table once"😂
I really like the dragon design, however, I did not read it as a light and dark dragon at first, but rather as a fire and ice dragon ,I feel like the color choices lean a bit more towards that, since the cool tones can be so easily associated with ice and such, but I also find that since the light side has such rock like mater to it, it reinforced the idea of ice in my head. I'd try to emphasize "light" as a subject matter through the form it constructs , and then reinforce it through color choice. I do find that the dark side is very effective and communicates its theme very clearly.
"This dragon was designed by me to be the light and darkness dragon; the physical embodiment of two different crucial elements within the game. The light and the darkness overcame what was once an amber dragon, and as it grew in strength over hundreds of years, it corrupted into the creature we see before us." (Need this for reference on what you said, don't mind me) First of all, stunning piece. I can definitely see the light and dark aspects, aswell as the amber dragon and older theme. It definitely looks like its been around for longer than most. However, the dark arm is blending into the dark wing a little bit, as the claws- mainly the 'thumb' claw- start blending into the torso. At first glance, you can see there's two forces or sides blending with a single lifeform/entity. The colours go really well together, and it overall looks fantastic. I can't find many flaws, and love how the amber kind of glows. Shading and highlights seem pretty on-point, and the proportions are pretty funky (In a good way, it looks really cool). Makes me wonder if it has one personality, 2 or even 3 separate ones. (psst, did I do it right/do a good job? :3 )
About the dragon, I really like how the colors used make it pop, especially its amber core; and I love that the wings and texture of the dragon is different on either side, rather than just being a recolor. The only thing I feel looks like a bit wonky is his right arm, it is hard to read partly because of its complicated textured shape and because of its colors. Maybe making it a lot clearer would help. However, I understand that in a concept as busy as this (light+amber+darkness) there is a lot to juggle so almost inevitable something will hard to read.
Words cannot describe how well I think this art has been constructed, I enjoy the light and dark coloration that makes it seem like a great protecter that’s feared by all those who wish to do evil.
Those aren’t dragons tho, they’re drawings
Honestly true
ikr??? why must people call art “dragons”, or whatever it looks like, its just lines on paper smh 🙄🙄
“This is not a pipe”
ohh I love how you draw dragons! Or actually I love all your drawings, they have such high quality. Its also refreshing to see how you transition from sketch to details. As someone who never dared to dive into dragons I am amazed, makes me wanna try again now that I have become stronger with shapes and strukture. :D
I love the shading and lighting and lineart and literally everything else on the dragon, but its kinda hard to see the dragon's right arm
The dragon you showed at the end is really well rendered. I felt that the line art was confusing, but then, the color and rendering brought it together. The tail feels disconnected from the rest of the body, as if there was a serpent hidden behind the dragon, and the tail seems too big or “girthy” compared to the rest of the body
don't shame fat juicy tails
I love the dragon you designed, its imposing and scary but the pose you chose for it looks a little stiff and uncomfortable. Maybe if they were in a bipedal position yelling at a warrior who gained the confidence to actually look the beast in the eye. Or maybe even a leaping into an acton pose using its wings to get to high ground. I also felt like the colors leaned into more fire and ice. I love using the convention of angel with light and demon with dark in my art so maybe you could imply a halo and horns in the design. also changing the color scheme to yellow and white with red and black goes with light dark theme. This could also lead to pose showing it falling down from the heavens. By the way the dragon you designed is so cool, keep doing what your doing Jack. ;)
I absolutely love the 'darkness' aspects you have in the dragon you drew for this video, the dark colors and flame-like appearance to the scales and horns give a great shadow vibe. However, I'm a bit underwhelmed by the color choice you have for the light side. The crystalline shapes work well to contrast the more organic shapes the darkness side has, but I feel like having light blue with those more geometric shapes more so says 'ice' than 'light'. Warmer colors like yellow might help fix that, but that could also just be a me thing! Overall, I think it's great!
Such a great video! I loved hearing your perspective as a content creator as well as tips for commentors to be better part of your community. I'm enjoying your direction with your channel discussing topics other than only fakemon. I look forward to seeing more videos
I'm loving the direction this channel is taking in terms of more analytical discussion videos, especially art centric ones! Can't wait to see more! Dragon Critique: I love the how difficult it is to determine what this creature's true intensions are due to the lack of clear expression (tiny eyes, No pupil, gaped mouth, etc.) as if it's lost control over itself. These aspects make It look like an awesome force of nature as well as giving it a somewhat tragic vibe. I would like to see the dark and light halves getting more space in terms of colour, maybe around the sides of neck the neck and tail areas to give a sense that they are still slowly corrupting the host's body. I would also make the general body colour a bit darker, allowing each half pop out a lot more. Overall, still a fantastic piece as always!
The half-and-half aspect of your dragon is a really cool idea! Personally for me, it read a bit more like a fire and ice dragon, especially with the orange part in the middle. It might help to lean a bit more (but not entirely) into stereotypical “light and darkness” colors?
About the art you drew throughout the video, I love the attention and thought put behind the biology, little details, how the wing comes directly out of the paw of the wing limb, making it basically a 5th finger covered in feathers, really cool
pokémon taught me that if altaria and applin can be dragons, anything can be a dragon lmao.
I absolutely LOVE the colors you chose for the dragon, they play off eachother beautifully and definitely convey the theme you were going for. However the arm on the ‘dark’ side is blending into the wing, to the point where it is hard to see. The arm is being pulled back, I can tell that! But with how the colors kinda muddle together around that area it looks too small, which only adds to it being hard to distinguish. The pose over all is fantastic though! I love the motion you have going on with the piece!
The first glance at this light and darkness dragon kinda gives me the feel of fire. Even though it's an amber dragon, the shift from darker red to orange to blue makes me think of the different colored flames seen in real life. The black, purple and red of the Dragon's right side are all associated with villain colors, and subsequently function incredibly effectively to provoke thoughts of corruption or evil. In stark contrast, the light half feels more like ice or a general regal feel with it's blues and yellows and whites. This makes the brown-ish gray of the middle a perfect in-between, not quite one or the other. Even though it's lore is that of a sort of takeover of the original dragon, you can tell it's stronger and significantly more dangerous with it's new sharp edges and the glowing parts on it's skin. (How'd I do?)
In my opinion, dragons can be whatever you want them to be! Just because it doesn’t meet *your* standards of what a dragon *should* look like, doesn’t mean it’s wrong or bad. To the artist it’s still a dragon. And that’s what matters!
it's important to know what the artist's intention is and only to give critique when it is asked for. not everyone sharing their art online or making art in general wants to improve or is aiming for drawing to the best of their ability and some people rightfully only trust a certain group of people to give them helpful critiques
Thank you for this, a lot of people don't realize how little throwaway comments can affect artists, or how to critique something in a way that doesn't sounds insulting. Concerning the dragon you were painting in the background, I absolutely love him
I love how well the dragon's design reads, I knew what it was about before the coloring even began! The one torn, batlike wing and one avian wing are classic (though perhaps overused?) symbols for darkness and light combining in one form, they alone make the intent of the art clear. My only real criticism would be that on the torn wing's tips, the tears appear to go through the part of the wing where the bone should be, and overall the anatomy of the wing and the shape of the tears are not convincingly realistic to me. However, from what I understand, making the wings unrealistic was probably a deliberate choice, and really the only reason I dislike the wing at all is because I'm a stickler for convincing anatomical realism. It's an awesome piece overall! Ok but also. I have a cousin who does these ""criticisms"" irl and oh my gosh, it's so annoying. Taught me a lot about how to ignore smart alecs at a young age. Nowadays I either give my guys original species/race names, or just say "screw it" and call my art whatever I want.
I have also been known as “the one that draws dragons” ever since I was a kid 😅
I like the ideas you had! Your shading on the wings is mesmerizing, and your color choice is phenomenal. However, with the wispy bits on the dark side and the clean, slightly geometric parts on the light side, I read it as more "fire and ice" at a glance. Usually to remedy this, I'd make the dark side more sleek and geometric and the light side wispier, but i do see where you were going with the wispy bits! I think the use of the orange threw me off? Those gemstones could maybe work with green or purple/yellow! Otherwise, though, its a phenomenal design :0 i love it a lot
honestly, I think the whole "it's actually a Wyvern !" thing is more of a meme than anything else
There are differences.
@@bui3415 Ik, but saying it each time someone draws a wyvern is kind of a meme, like "ah non my friend, this is actually a wyvern since it only has back legs, meanwhile dragons are quadrupedal, and... 🧐🎩"
Thank you for helping me realize that what is a dragon varies largely between certain franchises. DnD design of dragons seems to be more conservative, with main differences being the head shape, and color of scales. That could be because of how many other creatures there are in world of DnD, and making dragons more diverse could prove confusing if placed next to other monsters. On the other hand we have How to train your dragon franchise, where lack of other fantastical creatures gives more freedom when creating dragon design.
Lol some people’s critiques are literally that the art doesn’t fit their headcanon if it, like they don’t know the world the dragon fits in and maybe all dragons of that world look like that but since they don’t know they fill in the blanks themselves and in their self-centeredness can’t separate their own headcanon from what the artist made, honestly concerning behavior
I really like the read of: A Wyvern is a Dragon, but a Dragon is not necessarily a Wyvern
The way that there are still elements of the dragon untouched by the corruption is interesting, and helps imply that this is not its natural state. The arm on the darkness side is hard to make out from the body/wings, and looks a lot weaker, almost crippled, compared tot he light side. That said, I love it Jack. ❤🎉❤
It'd be interesting to see if the more gatekeeping comments are actually from the art community or just from random observers. Since most of the challenges are for practice/improvement, it would surprise me if fellow artists are the majority of the dunkers
or from actual dragons who feel misrepresented
I love Overly Sarcastic Production's video about Dragons. Dragons actually do not fit any specific category of body plan or even taxonomy. Some dragons are tubes with or without legs, some dragons have wings some don't. Some dragons can breath an elemental breath some just have venomous fangs. It is insane that people try to create Taxonomy of mythological things when real life animals barely even fit within taxonomy and are regularly shifting and forcing scientists to change things. Also the 'pokemon starters theory of fir based on the chinese zodiac, water being weapons, and grass being extinct animals' has a great video by DeadBedSpread showing how that is a retroactively applied thing by the fanbase and honestly was always stupid because over time people would argue about what zodiac sign certain things even were... Love how Fuecoco melted the theory because there is no crocodile zodiac and dragon was already taken... (completely ignoring how dragons in eastern mythology are typically associated with water elementally)
13:21 It's a very cool design and at first I thought it was some combination of fire, ice and something else magical. After learning that it's a dark and light dragon that was once an ember dragon the design made a lot more sense. I think I interpreted the light side for ice as the whites and blues (and sometimes purples) are also used to depict icy or gem creatures. I think a higher presence of golds on the light side could make it read more as a classical "light" side.
The dragon you designed in this video has a really strong design! I love the color palette used! One thing I would consider if you decide to make any changes is that the arm to the viewer's left (the dragon's right arm) looks a bit small, and makes it seem disproportionate. Granted, this could be what you were going for and if so, kudos to you! However, to me, it makes that side of the dragon look a bit... incomplete and not as powerful as the rest of the design.
Taking what you said to heart, I'm going to try and critic the light & dark dragon. I like the angle you were going for, adding in a third design element not only enhances the story behind the dragon for me, but also helps to break up the design as well. However, I do feel like the posing is lacking. If this is meant to represent the two major elements of the card game as well as the story being that an amber dragon was corrupted by the two elements and thus changing what the dragon once was, I feel like the artwork deserves a pose that really shows what effects both elements are having on its mind (?) I really am trying not to just say "Bro this is awesome, keep up the good work" Because this channel has help a lot in making me improve in being an artist and it feels weird for me, someone who isn't even an adult yet, give a critic to someone who has been doing art for much longer. (Thank you btw)
I love how the "Amber dragon" part still clearly shows through the corruption. However, especially the light part looks more frozen than light in my opinion, though this could be consistent throughout the aesthetic of the card game. Someone else mentioned it too, but I like the wings being feathered for light and ragged leather for dark drawing allusions to angels and demons.
the tail morphing from the battered dark side into the more elegant light side makes it support the feeling of the light and dark corruption, however the dark side's arm is incredibly hard to notice and when i did notice it it looked about half the size of the other arm.
I think some elements of the light and darkness dragon definitely work to convey its intent. But I assumed it it was actually supposed to be an ice/fire dragon before you said it was light and dark. The crystal like structure on the arms for the light makes it look like ice and the horn on dark side has the appearance of flame. However, because the element of amber is present adding a crystalline structure to the dark and light halves is a very cool concept. I just don't know if it properly comes across. Maybe different color choices or using specific gemstones to represent the two halves could work. Opal for light comes to mind. I also don't know if the overall gray color scheme of the majority of the dragon really works. It doesn't allow the other colors to pop enough. I adore the shapes though and how the elements of light and dark are almost melting into the central crystal. It makes for a more chaotic look that sells the mutated by light and dark magic idea. The spiraling of the two colors on the end of the tail is also a very cool idea and another great way to visualize the two elements coming together. I hope any of this was helpful or constructive heh.
omg im so glad someone else has also seen this dragon sameness. its exactly the reason how to train your dragon got so popular; all of its diverse and varied dragon designs
so, my sister is a big dragon nerd. shes talked a lot to me about the different kinds of dragons. those comments saying "this isn't a dragon, this is a wyvern" are flatout wrong. the design may indeed be a wyvern, but wyverns are literally a type of dragon. this is like saying "thats not an amphibian, that's a frog".
appreciate the cheeky jab at the "wyverns aren't dragons" crowd at 5:45 with the wyvern stat block